Vegetarians become a problem when - just like religions - find it necessary to inform and/or influence others. Like someone else mentioned here, I don't tell you if I eat bread, pasta, or beans - who the fuck cares if you eat meat either?

If you're going to kill a deer, you better eat it or fuck off. I don't get why you would want to kill for "sport" or "trophies."

I understand the point you are trying to make, sort of, but you chose quite possibly the worst example to prove your point. Google deer overpopulation and read anything that comes up. We hunt deer because if we didn't they would die by starvation because there are too many of them, and along the way they would wreak havoc on the rest of the ecosystem.

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I'm captain planet. I'm trying to save the world from pollution. I love the cock.

I dont have the courage to go kill a chicken let alone slit a huge cow or pig and drain its blood then gut him up. If you can go ahead.

I wasnt avoiding the question, not everyone is as barbaric as some to be able to slaughter a animal. One minute its alive next it isnt, its sad to see a animals life or any living beings life be taken away.

Waiting for that fateful day of bannage, c'mon Kyle be a man and push the button you big fairy.

I'm not one to take pleasure in seeing animals physically abused but to say that an animal is actively suffering is a pretty big leap. To say something is suffering would first require that animal to have some cognitive ability. Animals aren't sentient they lack the higher brain functions to develop an emotional attachment to pain. When you wound an animal the reaction is a basal "fight or flight" response. Animals don't cry.

That being said I prefer to know where my food comes from. There are a load of farms around where I live. I have a pretty good idea of what sort of treatment the cows, chickens, turkeys and pigs that end up in my belly are receiving. I don't think it's inhumane, in fact most of the farms around here are on the cutting edge of animal welfare so to speak.

As for vegetarians? I could care less what you eat. I'm perfectly happy eating meat or not. The only thing that bothers me is when people go out of their way to explain that they're a vegetarian or vegan, or whatever. Nothing is more annoying that someone implying they're a better person than you because they don't eat meat. Don't shove your eating habits on me, and I won't shove mine on you.

that that video is pretty crazy, but not every farm is like that. I know about 100 farmers (at least) and all their facility's are well run, they respect the animals, everywhere between chickens all the way up to buffaloes. Buffalo meat

Are you talking about small farms or factory farms that produce meat for supermarkets, restaurants, and especially places like McDs?

Small farms would probably treat their live stock with a bit more respect, I doubt large manufactured live stock would be treated the same though.

Watch a documentary called Food, Inc, it talks about everything, not just meat but how the food business is ran. Its pretty interesting, especially when they talked about Monsanto crops, how if your crop was caught with Monsanto seeds and the farmers didnt report this they would have been sued, even if they grew Organic seeds which got mixed up with them.

- Co-worker #1. Grew up in India, where a significant portion of the population is vegetarian, and just stuck with it. He never saw the point of eating meat and never really had a reason to start. He's also an absolutely brilliant engineer so any "you need meat to be smart" commentary is - besides, you can get proteins from plenty of other things - lentils, beans, etc.

And he's constantly bringing in extra food for me to try, which is awesome. If anyone knows how to make a kickass vegetarian dish, it's the indians.

- Co-worker #2 - pseudo-vegetarian. Rarely eats meat, and it's all for ethical reasons - he's against factory farming. On the few occasions he does, he grabs meat from a local farmers market, or eats chicken that a friend raised, etc. because he refuses to buy it at a supermarket.

- Childhood friend - His parents met at woodstock and fled to canada after his dad was drafted for vietnam, 'nuff said. He was raised not to trust meat, because you never know where it's from, the animal could be diseased, pumped full of hormones, etc. His parents are also big into farming their own vegetables, and they share food with their neighbours who also have their own gardens.

As for myself... I probably eat meat twice a week, and usually make a point of making something decent (a roast, ribs, steak, etc) instead of eating "waste of animals" food like hot dogs, deli meats, etc. I also buy steaks from a local farm which feeds their cows grass - they taste way better and they're a deep red color, unlike the halfway-between-pink-and-red ones you get at the supermarket from cows that are raised on corn.

I've also got a huge fondness for game. It doesn't get any more free-range than moose. Or seal meat, yum.

I understand the point you are trying to make, sort of, but you chose quite possibly the worst example to prove your point. Google deer overpopulation and read anything that comes up. We hunt deer because if we didn't they would die by starvation because there are too many of them, and along the way they would wreak havoc on the rest of the ecosystem.

Pretty much, nature is not pretty or kind or benevolent. Death and killing is how it works. Life means death. If not for humans existence then those deer would be slaughtered by various predators. I don't see much difference in the end.

Pretty much, nature is not pretty or kind or benevolent. Death and killing is how it works. Life means death. If not for humans existence then those deer would be slaughtered by various predators. I don't see much difference in the end.

Its stuff like this that kinda contradict the "animals dont feel or cry, and cant think for themselves" statement, because humans have a conscious and can think for ourselves and can distinguish between right from wrong. What Im trying to say is, there is a difference between humans killing animals for food or for fun and other predators killing another animal for food, because like people say animals dont have morals, animals kill for food. We humans dont need to kill animals for food to survive.

For those that think animals cant think or show pain, they do, just not the same way as humans do, only because their emotions are alien to us doesnt mean they dont. You step on a dogs tail it shreaks, because its pain that theyre telling you it hurts. Its pretty simple. If you look into animals eyes (like they say its the window to their/our soul) their eyes can convey emotions telling you so much when theyre in distress.

Its stuff like this that kinda contradict the "animals dont feel or cry, and cant think for themselves" statement, because humans have a conscious and can think for ourselves and can distinguish between right from wrong. What Im trying to say is, there is a difference between humans killing animals for food or for fun and other predators killing another animal for food, because like people say animals dont have morals, animals kill for food. We humans dont need to kill animals for food to survive.

For those that think animals cant think or show pain, they do, just not the same way as humans do, only because their emotions are alien to us doesnt mean they dont. You step on a dogs tail it shreaks, because its pain that theyre telling you it hurts. Its pretty simple. If you look into animals eyes (like they say its the window to their/our soul) their eyes can convey emotions telling you so much when theyre in distress.

Its stuff like this that kinda contradict the "animals dont feel or cry, and cant think for themselves" statement, because humans have a conscious and can think for ourselves and can distinguish between right from wrong. What Im trying to say is, there is a difference between humans killing animals for food or for fun and other predators killing another animal for food, because like people say animals dont have morals, animals kill for food. We humans dont need to kill animals for food to survive.

For those that think animals cant think or show pain, they do, just not the same way as humans do, only because their emotions are alien to us doesnt mean they dont. You step on a dogs tail it shreaks, because its pain that theyre telling you it hurts. Its pretty simple. If you look into animals eyes (like they say its the window to their/our soul) their eyes can convey emotions telling you so much when theyre in distress.

I am going to try and reply as snark free as i can to this post because this is a serious thrad.

Have you ever had a prolonged exposure to farm animals? I grew up on a farm (which taught me a lot about farming, and life in general... ). Most farm animals are as intelligent as a turnip. I shit you not, A farmer who thinks that the cows are happy or sad is only deluding themselves.

Hell, if you have an animal that eats meat like a pig, you can get into a nice loving relationship with said pig, and treat it like a house pet and love and tender it for years. You would get to the point where you think the pig loves you, but if you were to die in front of that pig and it was hungry, it wouldn't THINK TWICE about eating you.

ive seen docile cows that everyone would say that are harmless, kill and mame other animals. I've seen a mother cow trample her own young, to get away from a bull. They really are stupid bags of delicious meat that make lots of poop.

Even with all that said, i still strongly am against the farming industry as it is today, Corn fed beef is just wrong, and factory farming is just a bad idea ecologically, as well as ethically.

On a different note. To the OP, as long as you don't preach about it, i don't see how you could have a problem with it. I think you need to rethink your going out strategies with your friends. If you are going to a steakhouse than the vegetarian options are going to be limited and as you said, you are going to spend 30 bucks for some corn. I recommend Asian food. I thought vegetarianism was a joke, and that all vegetarian food was dog shit until i tried real vegetarian Asian food. A lot of vegetarian Chinese, Indian, Thai is better than their meat laden counterparts. So if you go out with friends, they can eat meat and you can eat delicious food too. I never in a thousand years would of thought that id voluntarily go to a vegetarian only restaurant, but there is an indian place close to me that is to die for...

p.s.
Tofu in western cuisine is fuckin horrible, Tofurkey, tofu hot dogs and anything where Tofu is made to simulate meat is just wrong and unholy. Tofu in the right dish, is delicious.

I understand the point you are trying to make, sort of, but you chose quite possibly the worst example to prove your point. Google deer overpopulation and read anything that comes up. We hunt deer because if we didn't they would die by starvation because there are too many of them, and along the way they would wreak havoc on the rest of the ecosystem.

See, I'm not entirely sold that if we just gave the ecosystem more room, it would be able to handle itself. We've not been here that long, I'm pretty sure we're dependant on the earth, and it isn't dependant on us.

Regardless of my example, the point still stands; and that's all that matters.